Revenge
by Jadegaze
Summary: Slash, a normal loner is sucked into a world he never imagined. He meets Pearlpelt, a formal Warrior, and unwittingly starts helping him destroy the Clans once and for all. There is no turning back once you get second thoughts... FIRST FANFIC STORY EVER!
1. Chapter 1, The Beginning

Slash woke. His dark dusty colored brown pelt was dusted with frost, and his paws and tail felt numb with the cold. The sunrise greeted him as he gazed out of his den to the horizon, and the sky to the west was covered in streaks of blood. Midnight was still behind him. Flicking his ear, he groaned as he got up, unhappy to get out of his warm moss nest. He was in his den, which was a rough badger scrape that had been abandoned long ago. A large bush grew at the entrance, shielding him from wind and prying eyes. But, even tail-lengths of dirt had no affect on cold weather. Only his nest could stay warm on nights like this. Autumn was fast approaching, and it was getting harder and harder to get prey and stay warm. His winter coat was slow growing in, and he had to deal with the cold for now. Is nest still needed new moss and fur lining, but all the prey that he had eaten lately had either had had too skimpy of a coat, or its pelt was prickly or it did not have a pelt at all. He shivered, remembering the frog he had been forced to eat a few days ago. He shook his head, casting those thoughts aside, and walked out of the den.

A gust of crisp air parted the fur on his cheek, chilling him instantly. He cursed, hoping that winter coat would hurry up. Hunger clawed his stomach, adding to the discomfort of the cold. He scented the air, but the wind was blowing all scents off course, so he had no idea where they truly came from. Making a split second decision, he headed off into the woods. He hunted better in open grass, but the woods would block the wind and therefore allow him to scent. Dry bracken and dying grass crackled under his paws, and he wondered if dead ferns that were signature to the forest would be this bad. He hoped not, but hunger had a way of expelling other thoughts he may have needed to pay attention to, such as crossing a scent line.

He was only a few tail lengths into the forest when he noticed the wind die down almost instantly. Suddenly everything's' scent was with its owner and Slash relaxed. His ears pricked, he wandered far into the forest, not scenting anything closer to him than a bird high in an oak. He cursed at himself. Nothing worth eating would be out this early. Just like him they were drawn to their warm nest, only he wasn't in it. But, hunger would be his master until he had something to eat. He wandered and wandered in a roughly strait line, which was the only way he would find his way back to his den. He always kept the rising sun in front of him, so that it illuminated the undergrowth in front of him. Hunger squirmed in his belly, begging him to abandon all thoughts other than food. Not knowing what else to do, he obeyed it. That was his first mistake.

Nothing but the thought of food was in his mind. Food, food, food... It begged him to hurry; it put all other thoughts on hold. He missed three things that might have saved him, but hunger had its say. He scented a rabbit deep into the forest, and he followed it. When small details caught his eye hunger turned his head so that all he could see, hear, and scent was that rabbit. Its step was young and springy, but meandering. It had no idea it was being trailed. Slash had to trail it far into the forest. Whenever Slash thought he had caught up, it saw a tender sapling that had to be eaten, it ran and ran to get to it as fast as it could, and the whole cycle started again. Slash was concentrating so hard he did not notice when he stepped over a line of strong scent markings. Mistake one. He followed the rabbit, and the sun rose a few inches so that more than its wild hair was peaking over the horizon.

The rabbit stopped to nibble on a clump of green grass that had survived the frost. Shard crept forward, nothing but the rabbit and him in the universe. He never noticed a rustle of bracken to the side. Mistake two.

The rabbit was still eating the grass. Time for the kill. He could already feel his claws beg to unsheathe, but he controlled it, telling them that the time would come. He crept forward on gossamer paws, his golden eyes wide and gleaming from the light of the rising sun. He crouched, his powerful hind legs bunching up under him. The leap was easy, just over a low skimpy bush and breakfast was his. Just before that rabbit's life would become his breakfast, just before his hunger would weaken and retreat for a few hours, everything was taken away.

The rustle of bracken had turned out to be more than a slight twist of rouge wind. It was a cat. He felt a huge bundle of muscle and fur launch into him, felt thorn sharp claws pierce his ears and shoulders, he felt hot breath in his ear. He turned to fight, even though the rabbit he wanted had fled. Third mistake.

"What are you doing on ThunderClan Territory?" the attacker hissed. Bright green eyes gleamed with anger and a golden brown pelt rippled over hardened muscles. Her tail tip was white.

"What territory? I was hunting! That rabbit was mine! Now I have to hunt all over again!" Slash shot back. Hunger possessed him and was turning him into a savage beast whose only thought was food and how to get it. _She scared it away! SHE is the reason you lost your meal. SHE is the reason for your needless hunger, _it whispered in his ear, its persuasion burrowing into his mind. _Yes_, he agreed. _She should pay._ Before she could reply he launched and the strange cat and began fighting with all his might and skill he had. Unfortunately, she had moons of skill and training. He only had determination.

Counting the mistakes stops here.

As soon as they began to truly fight Slash knew he had no chance. The she-cat knew the moves, she knew how do duck, dodge, she know how to slash and attack, she knew everything, and Slash knew one thing. You unsheathe the claws.

Hunger blinded him once more though, even though you and I would have been able to see that you had lost by then, no one knows what he or she would do with that hunger. Oh, hunger knew how to persuade, it knew how to slither through your morals and logic and make only one thing matter: getting to the food. And, the funny thing about hunger is after you did that outrageous thing to get food, it didn't care if you were so injured that you would die as soon as you finished eating. No, it only cared for itself. Hunger, as anyone should think, was a glutton.

Slash was totally possessed with hunger. Even though half of his swipes missed, he only noticed the ones that tore fur. But, the golden cat was getting through his defenses much more, even though she only was able to give him nicks and scratches. She looked afraid, but was no more tired. But Slash was. Slash was panting and slipping, his swipes becoming more desperate and his footing more off balance. The golden cat with the white tipped tail did one thing that allowed her to win. She did not hold back.

The whole fight she had been holding back, not wanting to waste her energy because she had a whole patrol to finish. But, she saw that this was getting nowhere, and she had her kit to return to at the camp. She darted past the wildly flailing paws and sliced his flank.

Slash felt the claw glide through his flesh as though it was nothing. But, it was not nothing. The pain was excruciating! Blood splattered from the wound onto the ground and the sudden surge of pain swiped away the hunger as though it was a measly fly. He could think now. And now that hunger no longer possessed him, pain promptly took its place. And while most often hunger drove one forward, this pain drove you away. Slash crumbled to the pain and fled, slipping on the dying grass and ferns from his bloody paws. The pain eased slightly when he reached the edge of the forest and stopped, allowing the cut muscle to rest. Blood still oozed from the wound, but it was less severe. But, no matter what, it needed to be treated.

Slash, like every loner, knew the basic herbs. Everyone knew what was used for stomachache, for cuts and scratches, for fever… But, now that the frost was getting stronger and stronger, most of the herbs were frozen, and Slash cursed himself for forgetting to store a few of the basics. He wandered around, forgetting to scent for the herbs, almost begging for them to appear at his paws. In his frantic wandering, his head knocked into a tree. He lay dazed for a moment and then sprang up, remembering to scent this time. He scented a clump of marigold a few tail-lengths away, and saw he had landed in a nest of cobwebs. He had luck, that was for sure, but only sometimes. Just as he began chewing up the marigold, bad luck chose to strike again.

A rustle of soft pelt against dry bracken greeted Slash's ears. He whipped around, fearing return of the golden cat, marigold mush dripping from his mouth. But, instead a pure white cat stepped from the undergrowth, his stance radiating calm and trust. His pelt was iridescent, shining with tints of blue, gold, red, and green. Also, this cat was HUGE! His broad shoulders split the ferns on either side of him easily, and his large paws showed the tips of long and cruel claws. The white cat got up and began to calmly and slowly walk to Slash, his black eyes expressionless and wide. He stopped about a tail-length away from Slash, and cocked his head slightly to the side. "Do you need help?" he asked in a soft voice. The voice was fatherly and almost caring, drawing you in. You wanted to help this cat. You wanted to do everything he asked. Slash was only able to nod mutely, marigold bits still falling from his mouth.

The strange cat leaned forward and helped Slash apply the marigold petals to his scratches. It stung, but Slash knew that an infection would hurt much more. His smooth brown pelt was no more, for now it was cut and torn. He felt banged up. His head hurt, his claws ached, his cuts stung, the slash on his flank burned, but worst of all hunger was still there, clawing and tearing at his stomach. He wanted it to stop, he wanted peace, and he wanted the bliss of sleep. In sleep you felt no hunger, no pain. But, sleep was not coming to him; it was not filming over his thoughts. Instead, pain was keeping his mind alert and sharp.

He was almost positive that pain was trying to kill him.

After the white cat finished helping Slash apply the marigold to his cuts he stepped back, white fur rippling over bulging muscles as he sat down with his tail wrapped around his paws. He was silent for a long time. Finally, Slash found his voice.

"T-thank you for helping me," he meowed, stumbling on the first word a little bit. It wasn't a full stutter, and he hoped that the white cat would not notice.

"No problem," the cat replied. His voice never lost that deep smooth fatherly tone. "You can never trust Clan cats though, right?" Clan cats came out weird, with a hard edge.

"Clans? Clan cats?" Slash said, confused. "What, I mean _who_ are they?"

"That little kitty you fought back there, remember her?" Slash wondered how in the world the cat knew about him fighting the golden cat. He became wary. This cat knew too much. "Yes, I know you do! You still feel the sting of the wounds she inflicted on your pelt. You still feel anger to her. How could you not? She took away your food, food that was rightfully yours." Slash nodded, drinking in the words as if they were honey. All fear and wariness to the cat was forgotten. He was hearing what he wanted. "All Clan cats are like that, most worse. They mark silly little borders to keep cats out, and to keep themselves in. But, when someone accidentally stumbles into their land? No waiting for an explanation from you, no asking what you are doing here... Only fighting! They hoard their prey, taking more than they need! And can they spare one young rabbit to ease your hunger? NO! They drive you off. Both of you end up rabbitless, both wounded from battle. Did that help anyone? NO!" The white cat allowed that last word to ring through the trees for a few seconds before continuing, his iridescent pelt shining. The sun was only half risen, and red bathed the sparkling white pelt like blood. "So, what do you do? What do _we_ do?" The cat stopped, waiting for an answer.

"We take what is ours," Slash replied softly, the black gaze of the cat nearly feeding him the words.

"And what is ours?" the cat whispered, his voice like the gossamer beat of butterfly wings, yet saturated with the longing of justice. "And what is ours?"

Slash needed no more prompting. "WHAT IS THEIRS!" he half yowled. "We take what is theirs so it becomes ours!" Triumph filled him. He would get back at that golden cat one day. He would!

The white cat's pelt looked like a red pearl from the sun, a cruel smile playing on the edges of his mouth. "Good. Now, do you wish to help me?"

"Yes!" Slash replied, totally swept up in the pearl-cat's words. _Yes…_

The cat nodded. "Perfect. Now come with me. I will bring you to my den and we shall discuss this. My name is Pearlpelt, but you may call me The Bane. It's an old nickname. Now, if we are on a partner basis, I should also know your name." Pearlpelt said this rapid fire, but the smooth tone never lost his voice.

"Slash," he replied. "My name is Slash."

"Well Slash, when we get to camp, I mean my den, grab a piece of fresh kill and we shall talk."

Slash's stomach growled at the thought of food. He followed Pearlpelt away from the forest, away from his cooling nest, and away from his past.

It took many minutes to make it to Pearlpelt's den. The sun had fully risen by the time they reached it and hunger had stopped clawing at his stomach. No, instead it was tearing and yowling inside of him. The pain peaked as he smelled fresh fresh-kill. Pearlpelt, The Bane, glanced back at the sound of his stomach. "Help yourself," he said, "Once we get in the camp." Pearlpelt did not bother changing camp to den this time, but Slash did not have time to wonder. Food was his only thought. Pearlpelt paused, gauging the desperate look on Slash's face.

"Okay, wait here." Pearlpelt vanished into the tall swooshing grass and came back moments later with a rabbit. Not plump like the one Slash had been tracking, but it wasn't scrawny either. Slash's stomach gave an appreciative growl. Its warm and juicy scent wafted over to his nose, and he couldn't help but sniff in longing. Pearlpelt dropped it at his feet. "Eat up. I'll show you the camp once you aren't so hungry." Slash nodded, and dug in. The meat was tender and filling, but he couldn't help compare it to the rabbit he had been stalking. He was sure that it was much more tender, and had more meat, and was better in every which way. But, the meat soon did its trick. Hunger was no longer in his stomach and he could now stand up with no problem.

"Okay, lead the way," he said in a much more controlled voice than he had used before. "Lets see this _camp_ of yours." He stressed the word camp on purpose. Pearlpelt nodded, and, doing as Slash suggested, led the way.

Pearlpelt's camp was larger than Slash thought. He had expected a large bush to sleep under, or maybe a big scrape to sleep in. But, instead of that there was a huge clearing, enough to fit about ten cats comfortably, with thorn bushes lining the camp walls and thick ferns to bar anyone's way out. The only visible way out was through the entrance he was currently standing in. He glanced around, and Pearlpelt stood behind him patiently. There was a large boulder hear the edge of the camp wall, jutting out of the ground like a dull tooth. It was a dull gray and had many veins of black and paler gray. He continued to look through the camp. There were three long abandoned badger scrapes backed up to the left side of the camp, and a large lone holly bush stood, like a guard, in front of the tree den openings. In the very center there was a pile of fresh-kill, even though it wasn't very big. He walked in, and found that the sandy dirt that was the floor of the clearing was warm and felt rough against his paws. The place felt like paradise compared with what he had back in his den. Those dens looked a whole lot deeper and warmer… He heard Pearlpelt pad up behind him.

"What do you think? The dens still need a lot of work," Pearlpelt said quietly, the warm breath stirring the fur on Slash's ear.

"Better than what I was living in," Slash said. And he truly meant it.

"That is always good to hear," Pearlpelt said. Briskly, he continued, "Fresh kill is over there, dirt-place there, and you sleep in the holly bush den. There is a nest already made for you. Sleep well, we have work to do in the morning. This place needs cleaning up." Slash nodded, and even though it was well before sunhigh, he gratefully fell into the nest and fell asleep, his belly full for once.


	2. Chapter 2, The True Bane

Slash woke up in a warm nest with a full belly. He looked up, expecting the tangled roots that criss-crossed the ceiling of his den. Instead, interlocking branches of a large holly filtered out soft sunlight. He guessed it was sunset, or sunrise, but he didn't want to get out of his warm moss nest to check. The slash he had received to his flank still burned when he moved, but otherwise it was in much better condition than it had been the night before. His pelt was still cut and marred from the golden cat's claws, but the cuts had already scabbed over and the smallest ones were nonexistent except for a small ridge of raised skin. He laid there for a few more moments, letting the filtering sunlight dapple his dusty brown pelt, his golden eyes half open in contentment. His new nest, unlike the one back in the badger den, was lined with soft moss, warm fur, and silky feathers. The three textures blended together in a wonderful way, making it nearly impossible to not fall asleep instantly when you reached the den with tired eyes.

Pearlpelt glanced in. "Glad you're awake. Did you rest well? I hope that day of rest did you good."

Slash nodded. Pearlpelt had been kind enough to let him have one day of rest, it was quite evident that the wound the golden cat had given him was damaging, before having Slash help Pearlpelt clean up the camp. "Yes, thank you. I really needed that." He reluctantly got out of his heavenly nest, shivering slightly as the rest of his body was exposed to the frosty air. Pearlpelt had swished out of the den once Slash had replied, and Slash had nothing to do but follow. As he poked his head out of the den a gust of wind hit him in the face, squashing his left ear onto his head. He just had time to notice it was sunrise. Eyes watering with discomfort, he padded up to meet Pearlpelt, who was sitting in the middle of the clearing. The large white cat seemed unfazed by the fierce wind.

The Bane turned his black eyes to gaze at Slash evenly. "Today we will be cleaning out the underground dens. I will be doing the hunting when we get hungry. If you have any questions do not be afraid to ask." Slash nodded, and set to work.

For many days The Bane helped Slash clean out the dens, secure the bramble walls, and make the dirtplace larger. They only worked for about a week, and Slash was happy to do any of the tasks Pearlpelt placed on him. Pearlpelt had never said so, but Slash had a feeling he preferred being called The Bane, and so he called him. The first day The Bane did the exact same amount of work that Slash did with cleaning out the underground dens, clearing out rubble and setting up nests. But, as the days wore on The Bane removed himself from work a little bit more, instead preferring to stand in the center of the windy clearing and talk over something with himself. Slash assumed it was battle plans. Why else would he need such a big camp? It must be for other angry loners and rouges such as himself. The idea that he might not be alone in his anger made him excited, and he did the extra work with no complaint.

When the week was done Slash turned to the camp with pride in his large golden eyes. The dens were clean as could be with silky nests ready to be slept in, the bramble walls surrounding the camp were so thick that any cat trying to get in would find himself torn from his pelt, and the dirt place was large and spacious, ready for many more cats. The Bane padded up behind him. "Thank you, you did a lot of good work." Slash nodded in pleasure, glancing around the camp again. "I had a lot of things I had to do, even though it may have not appeared to you that way." Slash nodded again, staying silent, hoping for more of that smooth fatherly voice.

Pearlpelt did not continue. To break the silence, Slash said, "You hunt, I work. It makes sense. For once I can get a job done without worrying about my next meal. I'm actually full!" The Bane turned the cool black eyes boring into Slash's. Slash thought he saw a glimmer of approval, or maybe something else. Whatever it was, it felt good to make Pearlpelt proud. Or whatever The Bane was feeling.

"I'm going to go hunt, you have been doing it too often," Slash finally said. Silence stretched between them, seeming as long as the horizon. Slash made no attempt to move. He just sat there, thinking about the golden cat. She had a white tipped tail. For some reason that detail stood out in his mind. Her large luminescent green eyes didn't even captivate his thoughts like that white tipped tail. You could call him obsessive, but he was glad for that white tip. That way, when he finally caught up to that cat, he could claw her so bad she would wish she left him be with that rabbit. Finally, the silence seemed too loud. Slash got up and did as he had promised, trotting through the bramble tunnel to the outside world. The swishing golden grass soon engulfed him, leaving him totally alone except for the swaying of the grass and the scurry of the prey he was stalking.

Slash made it back to camp with good time. It was just past sunhigh, had he had caught a ridiculous amount of prey. One rabbit, which he had stalked near the forest, two birds, both sleeping on a low branch but on different bushes, four shrews, which he had scared out of their hole, and two mice, which he had caught somewhere in the middle of the meadow surrounding Pearlpelt's camp. With his tail held high he padded into camp, not bothering to quiet his pawsteps. With gleaming golden eyes he dropped the large amount of prey on the currently nonexistent fresh-kill pile, his neck muscles relaxing gratefully as the weight vanished. Pearlpelt was sitting next to the large boulder, the announcement rock as Pearlpelt called it, as if waiting for Slash. Pearlpelt flicked his tail, beckoning Slash forward and watching with veiled black eyes. The iridescent white pelt was shining gold and blue with just a blush of red from the sun reflecting from the reddish sand that made up the clearing. Slash sat down right in front of The Bane, more like master and servant than partners.

"I think it is time to reveal to you the nature of my plan. You have shown yourself loyal and determined. I hope you will stop at nothing to bring yourself to justice." The Bane's voice was smooth and controlled.

"By driving out the Clans?" Slash asked like a student would to a teacher.

"Yes. We will have the army soon. We just need patience. Do you have patience?" Pearlpelt's black eyes glinted with a strange emotion Slash did not recognize. Anger? Hate? No, the thought behind it was much to complicated for that.

"Yes, I am willing to wait," Slash said in a low, soft voice. "I just want to bring those stinking Clan cats down to where I was. Let them feel the hunger and the desperation."

The Bane grinned. It wasn't a happy grin. It was cruel and slightly insane. "Perfect," Pearlpelt said, the tone of his voice changing drastically. It became cold and drawling, cruel and calculating. Slash found he was afraid. No one's voice should ever sound like that. No one's. Slash staggered back, lifting up his paw in a defensive way. But The Bane had not moved. His deep black eyes were narrowed into slits, and the tip of his long white tail was flicking back and forth agitatedly. "Get used to it!" The Bane said in a rough mean voice much different than the one Slash was used to. "It can only get worse from here, unless you cooperate as planned." The cruel and insane smile again played on the edges of Pearlpelt's mouth, turning Slash's fear into terror. _It can only get worse from here, it can only get worse from here..._ It was played over and over and over and over again in Slash's head. What had he gotten himself into?

Slash woke again, this time in a totally different setting from last time. Instead of Pearlpelt poking his head in to check on Slash in a fatherly way, Slash woke to seeing the black eyes glinting through the sheltering leaves. "Get up!" Slash heard through the thick leaves. With a groan Slash hauled himself up, winching as his slash caught on a stray twig. "Hurry…." The Bane trailed off in a threatening way. The word was stressed at the 'ry'.

"Coming coming coming…." Slash grumbled. His tail was quivering in pent up energy. This always happened when Slash was nervous. It would flick and shiver and shake and do around twenty other little things trying to release stress. But, it rarely worked. Thankfully, today it was just quivering the slightest bit. That meant he didn't have _too_ much stress and that it wouldn't be noticeable. Slowly, with feigned fatigue, Slash stumbled out of the den. He wanted to be able to escape if needed while The Bane's guard was off, which would be when he thought Slash was asleep or tired. But, The Bane had not hurt him or anyone else yet there was food here. That was good reason to stay a bit longer.

"Due to that… issue yesterday I was not able to show you my plan and I sent you strait to the den. I apologize for that behavior and hope we can resume our partnership." Slash nodded, wary. The smooth voice was not back, and Pearlpelt sounded… normal, that was the word. His words could still persuade and draw attention in the same way, but… not in the same way. The best way that Slash could describe that was that he said the same words, made you think the same things, but the different voice made you feel different emotions. Slash didn't like it. The Bane's black eyes were shining from the risen sun and his shimmering white fur shown green. The iridescent white pelt always made Slash feel dull and unkempt, even though he always kept his pelt well groomed and he knew his golden eyes were much brighter and colorful than The Bane's.

When Slash had not replied Pearlpelt continued, "I think you should see the first members of the army." That got Slash's attention. Maybe when there were more cats like him he would feel better and have more sense of belonging. He didn't abandon caution, but his sudden excitement caused him to nod his head so vigorously that Pearlpelt had to suppress a laugh. Standing up fluently the massive cat flicked his tail for Slash to follow. Not knowing what else to do, Slash again followed The Bane into the unknown.


	3. Chapter 3, No Turning Back

Slash cautiously followed Pearlpelt out of the camp and into the golden swishing grass. Pearlpelt had said that he would show Slash his plan, but he didn't know if he wanted to see it anymore. The Bane's new voice and actions startled Slash, and he didn't know if he could trust him. But, he was full for the first time in ages and his pelt was healing all because of The Bane. He shook his head; clearing it and making his eyes water from a sudden gust of wind. Why did it have to be so windy? The Bane turned, a little ahead, and impatiently flicked his tail for Slash to follow. Slash angrily narrowed his bright golden eyes and followed.

The Bane's pelt was shining golden and orange with its pearly iridescence and his black eyes constantly flashed back to Slash. Slash just shrugged and shouldered his way through the stiff stalks, extremely lost. If Pearlpelt had not been there to lead Slash he might have never found his way out. The long wheat-like grass was high over his head, and only the sun blaring right in his face was his source of north and south. Shorter blades constantly poked him and a few of his cuts reopened. He could not remember the grass being this bad when he hunted yesterday, but then again he did stay clear of this area because there was no prey. Now, he could see why. It was miserable have to trudge through the thick grass. Pearlpelt's wide shoulders were parting the grass nicely but Slash couldn't find a way to follow close enough to avoid the inevitable grass. Again and again the tall blades slapped his face, making him stumble and trip.

The Bane whirled around and snarled, "Watch it!" at Slash when he accidentally stepped on Pearlpelt's long silky tail. Slash stammered an apology while scampering back out of The Bane's safe wake. The Bane just turned with a snort and continued to shoulder his way through the golden grass. Slash paused for a moment, wondering if he should run. When Pearlpelt realized Slash was not following he turned and gave him a killer stare, his black eyes glinting evilly. "You will follow and not do anything else," he growled, continuing on. Slash followed, his golden eyes heavy with unease.

Slash saw the looming shadow of the forest and he sighed with relief. The canopy would shield the sun from his eyes and the harsh grass would change to moss. The Bane led him under the whispering leaves with the flick of a tail. Almost instantly the wind died down to a playful breeze twisting through the ferns and the sunlight filtering through the leaves made Pearlpelt's fur shine with a green hue. The Bane turned to glance back at Slash with his cold black eyes as he walked, leading them through ridiculously thick undergrowth. The Bane spoke, his soft voice weaving through the trees to Slash's ears.

"We are almost there. Please make sure you reveal this place to no cat, especially a clan cat." The calm and smooth voice was back, so different from the gruff and angry tones he had used earlier when Slash accidentally stepped on his tail. Pearlpelt continued to talk as they wove through the thick undergrowth and trees and soon Slash was again entranced by the calming fatherly voice. "You will tell no one?"

"Yes!" Slash exclaimed. "Anything to bring the clans down!" Slash heard a little voice in the back of his head murmur something in his ear about The Bane not being trustable, but Slash pushed it away. The Bane hadn't done anything wrong yet, had he? No, he reassured himself. The Bane may not be exactly doing the right thing, but he hadn't done a single thing truly wrong. With a cheery spring to his step Slash followed Pearlpelt deeper into the wood. He gazed up at the leaves that were filtering the sunlight. Most of them were already changing from green to red, gold, or brown and the veins stood out from the translucent cells stretching between them.

The undergrowth reached its climax. Thorns snagged at Slash's pelt as if holding him back and the earth was choked with weeds that seemed determined to grab his paws. He felt like he was swimming in a sea of plants. The Bane on the other hand was weaving through the undergrowth as if he came here every day, and constantly gazed up to the blue sky calmly. Every once and a while a leaf would snap off its branch and float to the earth with a dry rustle, joining more of its brethren. Soon Slash had fallen far behind The Bane having no success at the terrible undergrowth. The Bane continued without a backward glance, leaving Slash to forge his own trail through the twisted undergrowth. Step by step Slash attempted to trace Pearlpelt's footprints, but unfortunately the grass and weeds had already bowed over to conceal any signs of the path. Pushing against a wall of undergrowth he fell head first into a small clearing about five tail-lengths wide. Blinking dust out of his eyes he saw Pearlpelt conversing with a slender she-cat and heard the mewling of several kits.

"Ah! You made it!" he heard Pearlpelt say warmly. "Sorry I couldn't go back for you, I had to talk to dear Tigerlily about some heated topics." Slash just stood up and glanced around. The she-cat, Tigerlily, was a dark tabby with thick stripes of silver fur. She had black zigzag markings on her head and intense amber eyes that stood out on her face. A sharp mewl startled him, and he turned to its origin. The Bane and Tigerlily began talking again and paid him no heed.

It was a kit, three kits actually. One was midnight black and slightly smaller than the other two, another was a calico with large white splotches on her paws and chest, and the last had a shimmery pelt so dark it was almost black. The black one was mewling to the calico, and he padded forward so he could hear what it was saying.

"Wake up Shiningkit, please! It's Jadekit. Please wake up!" Its voice was high and obviously female. "We need to get back to mommy!"

Rage boiled within Slash. So _this_ was The Bane's plan? He seriously doubted that Tigerlily was their mother, they looked nothing like her. They were stolen! Stolen to be raised by The Bane's beliefs and standards. This was the army! They would not only be taken from their mothers and that would therefore weaken the clans, but they also had to fight them! Slash had no way to back his suspicions without proof, but his gut told him this was true.

The Bane spoke, making him jump. He had been too preoccupied with the kits to notice the soft pawsteps. "I see you found these. We are taking them in for their own good."

Slash whirled around, venom in his voice. "To destroy their parents? NO WAY! If you think I am going to back you on this you are horribly wrong!" The Bane backed up a half step in surprise, but he saw the truth in his dark eyes. Slash's golden eyes flashed. "NOTHING can justify this! Tearing apart whole families for your gain is WRONG!"

The Bane stepped forward, the light filtering through the leaves making his pelt turn red, as if blood had already been spilled on it. "Oh? What are you going to do then? Run away to the Clans and tell them, get your own band of loners together to fight me?" The Bane said in a soft voice, "Not a chance! If you even think of leaving, well," A soft chuckle split his speech, "then I think that would be your _last_ thought as well!" The long and cruel looking claws unsheathed as if to prove his point. "Got it?" Slash nodded, gazing at the long claws fearfully with wide eyes. "Now!" he continued, adopting a lighter tone. "We need to name these three!"

The midnight black one looked up in horror at the white cat, her bright jade green eyes wide with terror. The calico had stirred, beginning to sit up and look around. The shimmery black one was already up and crouched under a bush as far as he could go, only his warm brown eyes truly visible. "How's Night for this one?" The Bane asked, poking the black one with an extended claw.

"I think she's a Jadekit," Slash blurted out before he could stop himself. He recalled the kit calling herself Jadekit, and it would help to have the poor thing keep her name.

The Bane turned. "That is a clan name. But, I will accept Jade." He glanced at the bright green eyes. "It fits." The voice he used was soft and dry, slightly reluctant. He turned to the calico with slightly more vigor in his voice. "Now, this one is harder!"

Slash again continued with slight desperation to help them keep their names. "Look at how her fur shines! We could call her Shimmer or Shine!"

The Bane turned, his lips curled back in a snarl. "She will not be Shine! She will be MOUSE!"

The little calico kit glanced up with a confused expression on her face. "I am _Shiningkit_, not Mouse!" The Bane whipped around with a snarl, claws extended, and slashed her ear. Blood immediately began to run from the cut. It trickled down her golden cheek and stained her pure white paws. She began to whimper in the most pitiful sound.

"You are MOUSE! SAY IT!" The Bane roared, black eyes flashing. The kit continued to cry, shaking her head. The Bane lashed out again, clubbing her cheek with his claw tips. He did not tear her flesh but blood welled up and began joining the path of her ear's blood. "SAY IT!" The Bane had lost it. His eyes were wide and filled with rage. "SAY YOUR NAME!"

"M-m-m-m-m-m-mou-mouse," she finally managed, tears spilling from her eyes and watering down the streaks of blood on her cheek.

Tigerlily roughly grabbed the last kit by his scruff, hauling him before The Bane. His dark brown eyes stared defiantly up at the imposing white cat and his tail flicked slightly. "I am Nightk-" he started to say, almost saying Nightkit. "Night, I am Night." The Bane looked at the shimmery kit with narrowed eyes. "No, you are Coal. I will not allow you to have the name the stinking clans gave you!" His long feathery white tail lashed side to side. "And what is your name?" he asked in a dangerous soft voice.

"C-coal," Coal said softly, one tear running down his cheek like a drop of shining dew. The Bane sat back on his haunches, satisfied.

Tigerlily turned to The Bane, her fierce amber eyes warm. "I will be making the deliveries as often as I can. Until next time..." she trailed off, looking up into the black eyes.

"Then you can help with the training," he purred in a soft voice. Slash turned away and couldn't help but do pretend retching behind their backs. The kits broke into tentative laughter. The Bane turned, his eyes unreadable. "We need to get back to camp," he meowed, his voice gaining the hard edge again. He grabbed Coal by the scruff and roughly pushed Jade in front of him. Slash followed, picking up Mouse. Was there a way for him to get out of this?

It took much longer to get back to camp then to it was to leave. Though Jade kept on pushing forward, never complaining, Mouse and Coal kept on mewling and crying and begging to go back. Jade glanced back sadly at her sister, pleading with her eyes for her to be silent. The Bane would snarl and lash his tail every time one of the kits cried out, scaring them into silence for around five minutes. Finally, long after Slash's patience was spent, they plodded into the camp. The Bane dropped Coal roughly, making him cry out in surprise and pain as he landed awkwardly. Jade quickly scampered out of the way, her jade green eyes wide. Slash gently set down the whimpering calico, wishing that she could actually be as quiet as a mouse as her new name suggested. The Bane glared at the kits in distaste, his lip curling back. He flicked his tail to the three underground dens, their dark mouths concealed with shadow. "You three are to sleep in the root den," The Bane growled, showing them a twisted root that spiraled out of the ground. "If I find that you go into any other dens without permission…" he trailed off, his black eyes gleaming cruelly. Jade stepped forward, nodding vigorously, and headed into the den. The Bane unsheathed his claws and pushed the lagging kits to the opening. "You there, Slash, guard the opening. If I find that you let them go…" the claws glinted in the sinking sun's light, the sharp tips glittering like diamonds. Slash forced himself to stare directly into the black eyes, noticing that the darkest of midnight blue flecks ringed the pupil; the rest of the eye was black. He turned into the holly bush den.

Slash turned to the den entrance, his ears pricked to listen in on the kits' conversation. He heard the soft voice of Jade talking to the louder and angry voice of Coal.

"How could that white cat get away with this? Threatening that brown cat… Its just not right!"

"I know it's not right, but we have to live with it. I think that the brown cat wants to help up, he tried to have us keep our names," Jade replied. She sounded sad and tired.

"I want mommy," Mouse joined in. "She would never change my name!"

"I know Shiningkit, I do too! Oh, I don't want to call you Mouse, that's a stupid name for that cat to give you," Jade meowed softly. He heard purrs of agreement from the other two kits. Soon they fell silent and soft snores rose to the mouth of the den where Slash waited. When sunset moved the night and the moon reached its peak Pearlpelt padded out of the holly bush den well rested. Without a word they swapped spots and Slash sent to sleep in his warm moss nest, but sleep did not seem inviting. He stayed awake with tired eyes until the bloody streaks of dawn stained the horizon.


	4. Chapter 4, Dawning Hope, Frosty Sky

What should happen this chapter: Ice, Mia, Stripe, Amber, and Emerald are brought to camp. Tigerlily becomes a permanent helper and lives in the camp now. Jade shows true compassion and understanding.

Pearlpelt poked his head into the den, black eyes narrowed against the constant gale and his tail streaming out behind him. Slash wearily lifted his head, looking into the cold eyes with glazed golden eyes. He had not gotten a wink of sleep and it was already dawn. The Bane saw the tired look in Slash's eyes and turned out of the den with a huff, resuming his vigil over the mouth of the root den. Slash closed his eyes and sleep finally overcame him.

_A small, fluffy kit was sleeping under the sweeping branch of a small bush. Its fur was fluffed up against the autumn cold and icy moonlight dappled its silvery white fur. Its sighed, falling deeper into sleep. Some golden leaves fell due to a squirrel stirring in the high branches of an oak. The leaves hovered in the air for a brief moment, then slowly sank to the cool earth, joining hundreds more of its brethren. All of the leaves had hues of gold, red, and brown but the bleached everything to a consistent silver-gray. Several more leaves dropped upon the sleeping kit, the giant leaves covering it as moss did to a rock. The white kit nestled deeper into the leafy ground, the leaves absorbing its heat and lending it warmth on the cold night. Dense clouds, plunging the forest into semidarkness, suddenly cut off the full moon's beams. The clouds shifted again, allowing one pale ray to shine down on the sleeping kit. It whimpered in its sleep, its eyes flickering under shut lids. Tiny paws began to scrabble at the ground, acting out its nightmare. More rays joined the first, illuminating the undergrowth around the kit as well. An owl gave one soft hoot from far away and the whimpers grew in intensity, cutting clearly through the chilly air only to be muffled by the thick leafy undergrowth. Suddenly, with no warning, the kit jerked from its sleep, opening gentle blue eyes so dark they were almost black. At first it was grateful to awake from its nightmare, but then it realized the hunger clawing at its stomach, making it wish it had stayed asleep. When sleep finally came the first golden rays of dawn were already staining the black sky. The ground next to it felt empty and cold, for its brother was not there._

Slash woke with a jerk, feeling tears stinging his eyes. He had not thought about the last time he had seen his brother in seasons. His mother had not been able to support both of them, so she left the stronger of the two in another cat's territory. He struggled to remember his brother's name. Cloud, or Snow, or Frost… he couldn't remember, but he knew that his brother had been named for his white pelt. Maybe Ash? His kit pelt had been grayish…

Pearlpelt poked his white head into the den, interrupting Slash's thoughts. "I need you, Puma just came back." The black eyes were boring into Slash's.

"P-puma? Who's that?" Slash said, surprised at the emotion behind the black eyes.

"Tigerlily, who else?" The Bane said with contempt. "Come on, I need you." With some grumbles and groans Slash hauled his tired body out of the warm nest. He absently noticed the there was no wind. The slender tabby was sitting at the camp entrance, five cowering kits at her paws. Jade, Coal, and Mouse were sitting at the mouth of the root den with wide eyes. "I need to talk with Puma, guard those kits or else…" Slash saw the tips of the sharp claws emerge from Pearlpelt's paws. Slash nodded silently, padding over to the poor kits. Puma traded spots with him with a cruel backward glance.

The kits looked up at him in pure fear. He wanted to ask them their names, but he didn't want to alert Pearlpelt of his intentions. His golden eyes narrowed in concentration. He could ask one of the other kits, like Jade or Coal, to ask the kits their names… He glanced up for Jade, only to find her already sitting at his tail, bright green eyes wide with understanding. She spoke in a tiny sweet voice, "I can ask their names for you, so you can do for them what you tried to do for us." Her eyes turned to her paws for a moment. "Thank you, Mouse really isn't mad at you, nor is Coal." Slash couldn't make himself do anything but nod with sad eyes. Jade padded up to the other kits, gently talking to them playing with some of the younger ones. After a few minutes she returned to Slash. "That pale gray one, with the pale blue eyes, is Hopekit, the longhaired gray kit, the one with the icy eyes, is Shadowkit, the tabby over there is Leafkit, the cream colored one with the reddish tail is Amberkit," her little nose wrinkled in distaste, "and the last one is Autumnkit, the brown tabby. She was in my Clan. Don't ever get to know her, you'll regret it."

Slash nodded, quietly thanking her. She went back to play with Amberkit, who was the youngest of the five. He pondered how he would suggest the names. Shadow would be the hardest, it didn't sound like a name that fit well with the kit. Hope, that also sounded good to Slash but he doubted The Bane would agree. There wasn't much hope here. As he watched the kits play Puma and Pearlpelt broke away from conversation, padding over to join Slash. The Bane turned his hard gaze onto the kits, judging their strength and skill by the play fighting. The fact that The Bane was already sizing them up for battle made him feel slightly sick.

"We need to name them," Puma said in a cold high voice. "We can't exactly go around calling them tabby and longhair, can we?' Her eyes glimmered with cold humor. She used her claws to nudge the tabby over to them, the dull green eyes widened with fear. "Now this one looks like a Stripe. What do you think Bane?"

The Bane pondered it for a moment, his long white tail flicking side to side. "Certainly fits, I like her build. She will make a good fighter some day, especially with those claws." The tiny kit had unsheathed her claws in her fear.

Slash spoke up, "I think that Leaf fits better. Besides, Stripe is kind of… boring." The Bane's eyes flashed with anger at the insult to Puma's suggestion, and Slash hastily added, "But if you like it best it works."

"Stripe," he growled. "That's your new name. "You will be in the agate den, no exceptions!" The kit reluctantly scampered over to the den he indicated with his tail, the one beside the root den with a large broken agate sticking out of the ground.

Pearlpelt turned to the next unfortunate kit. He chose the small cream-colored one with the copper-y red tail and amber eyes. She looked up in defiant terror, standing tall and calm while barely hiding the fear behind her intense eyes. The Bane turned to Slash, black eyes like dark holes, cold and bottomless. "Do _you_ my friend have any ideas?" His voice was mocking and had a cold edge.

Slash swallowed; saying the strongest voice he could muster, "I think Amber fits best." He stared calmly and comfortingly as he could into the small kit's huge amber eyes. He flinched away, expecting a harsh glare. None came. He risked a glance up and saw that both Puma and Pearlpelt were nodding.

"Amber it is," Puma said in a frosty voice. Her hard amber eyes looked as if liquid amber had frozen suddenly, forming a perfectly beautiful gem that shone with cold light. He shivered slightly. It seemed as if that gaze could stare into your very soul. "Agate den too," she growled, sending the kit scampering after her new denmate Stripe.

Puma roughly dragged the pale gray longhaired kit to The Bane's paws. The icy eyes were wide with fear, and her spine sloped her head down to gaze at her paws. Her long plume-like tail had dragged a furrow in the dirt, snaking its way from were she was sitting a moment ago. The other two kits watched with fearful eyes. Before Slash could even suggest Shadow, the closest there was to Shadowkit, The Bane took one look into the cat's eyes and said, "She must have some kittypet blood in her to have such long fur, so she needs a kittypet name. Mia. No exceptions." His black gaze swiveled to Slash, making him turn uncomfortably.

"Fine, Mia," he muttered, feeling pity for the kit as she furrowed her brow with obvious dislike to the name. The Bane flicked his tail to the agate den and the kit stalked off with angry eyes and a high tail.

The next one for Pearlpelt to usher forward was Hopekit, the pale silver tabby with the palest of blue eyes. Puma leaned in with interest, sniffing the sleek silver fur. The slender she-kit was trembling slightly. "I am stumped on this one. She has no obvious names."

Slash narrowed his eyes in concentration. Hope would not work as a name. There was no hope in this stinking camp and there never would be. It would be mocking her name to do so. He felt ice creep over his heart, realizing the future these kits would have being raised by a monster like The Bane. He spoke softly, the words rolling off his tongue before he could stop them. "Her name is Ice."

Pearlpelt and Puma turned at the same moment, their eyes expressionless. Puma broke her still face, breaking out into a wide lopsided grin, white fangs glinting through the smile. "Perfect," she purred. "Ice fits, just look at those eyes!" She leaned in, staring strait into the poor thing's eyes. "I'm going to personally mentor this one." The Bane nodded his consent and sent the kit into the last den, the shadow den. This den was cold and always thrown into shadow because a ridge of dirt swelled just in the perfect place, blocking out the sun for all minutes of the day. Slash vaguely remembered putting extra feathers in the nest to make it warm. He hoped it would help.

After the end of Ice's tail had swished down the cold entrance The Bane brought the final kit forward. Her muscles were strong and she had lost her kit pelt already, about six moons. She was glaring up at them with defiance and hate. Her nose wrinkled back in a snarl and she growled, "I was about to become Autumnpaw! Why did you bother drag me away from Thunderclan if I can just turn around and go…right…back." The last words were lost in a snarl.

The Bane stalked up to the kit, towering over her and shoving his mussel in her face. He snarled, showing long curved fangs, and lashed at her ear. Blood instantly spurted from the wound, dripping down her face and getting in her eyes. She refused to whimper though, and continued to glare at him as blood still dripped down into her right eye.

"YOU. WILL. NEVER. EVER. SPEAK. OF. THE. CLANS. HERE!" he roared. Birds in nearby bushes and stunted trees instantly took flight, calling out loudly to their kin. The noise echoed slightly, mixing the sounds of anger with the calls of escape and flight. Autumnkit looked slightly fearful and no more humble towards The Bane. She didn't begin to lick the blood that was dripping on her paws. "The Clans are no topic here unless I, and ONLY I, bring them up." Autumn glared up at The Bane with angry green eyes and her dark brown tabby pelt continued to get stained by the blood.

Slash watched with horror as Pearlpelt continued to loom over Autumn. "Get back!" he barked, his voice rough, with more authority than he knew he possessed. "The kit has done no wrong! You have taken away her future in what she in used to and there is no reason to harm her in her confusion!" His voice was quaking with anger and his tail lashed from side to side. Golden eyes angrily glared into cool black ones and claws emerged from his brown paws and from The Bane's white paws. "She has done no wrong," he whispered, his voice rasping in his throat as anger overtook even his voice.

The Bane stalked forward a few steps until he was nose to nose with Slash. He felt small and weak by comparison, but he stood strong for his strength. If he backed down now The Bane would be able to control him more than ever. "You. Said. WHAT?"

Slash blinked as saliva sprayed onto his face. "She did nothing but speak grievance for what she had lost. If you want them on your side you may want to not attack as soon as they say something!"

The Bane's eyes narrowed. "I will let you off THIS time. But, after this and there is no amount of reasoning you can give me to spare you." Slash nodded, his golden eyes hard.

Puma turned on The Bane. "She needs a name, hello! That's the whole reason you made me slave through getting her, so that you could have her in the camp! Part of that is having a name!" The growl was low and angry, and a little exasperated.

The Bane turned, his eyes softening. "Of course. A name. Do you have any ideas?"

Puma thought for a moment, and glanced up, puzzled. "No ideas."

The Bane furrowed his forehead. "I have no ideas either."

Slash risked speaking up. "Emerald?" His voice sounded weak and cautious, like a hunted rabbit.

The Bane answered grudgingly, "It works…"

"Oh don't be silly Pearlpelt! Even coming from him its good!" Puma retorted.

Slash brushed off the insult, happy that she liked it. That would give The Bane no reason to punish him. He also sent Emerald off to the shadow den. Just before she disappeared into the darkness of the den he saw her pause and daintily lick the blood off of her paws and face. An unexpected torrent of emotion hit him. Now he didn't just have to get himself out of this, but he couldn't leave with a clear conscience without freeing them too.

_****next morning****_

Slash stretched and got out of his silky nest, shivering with unhappiness as he saw that the wind had picked right back up and was battering the camp again. The Bane was guarding the dens again, his black eyes flickering from den to den every few seconds. Puma was asleep on the other half of the holly bush den, and he saw a dark striped tail hanging out of the nest. He stepped out into the torrent, eyes watering in protest. To his dismay he saw four more kits huddled in the center of the clearing. The sky was still relatively dark so he could not see their pelt markings, but by scent he could tell that two were boy and two were girl. The Bane turned, hearing his soft footsteps. As one of the kits started to get up and pad around The Bane growled softly and the kit scampered back to the others. The tang of blood was in the air and it was obvious the kits had learned to obey the hard way.

"Names?" Slash managed to croak out, grief for the kits and their families constricting his throat.

"None yet, I was waiting for you or Puma to wake." The Bane jerked his head to the agate den as a snore drifted from the inside, the earth muffling it slightly. The Bane turned back to Slash, flicking his tail for him to follow, and walked over to the four kits. All four shrank back and the dawn's light began to stain the sky. He saw that one kit was white, one a reddish brown tabby, another a golden she-kit, the last a mottled brown, gray, and black tom. Puma was awake and padding toward them.

The Bane glanced idly at the kits. "Names better be fast, I'm not going to be so patient this time. If you don't get them a name quickly enough I will chuck them in a den nameless." Slash shivered at these words.

Puma dragged the first victim forward, the reddish brown tom. He had dark brown markings on his face, ears, paws, and tail and his bright blue eyes glimmered with fear. "W-w-what do you mean names? I'm just Reedkit…"

"Rush," Puma said. Slash took a closer look at the kit and saw his body looked like it was made for running. It was close to Reedkit as you could get and it fit his runner's body. "Root den." After pointing out the dens and carefully laying down the rules she let Rush scamper into his den.

The next victim was the white kit. She had shadowed white paws, ears, face, and tail. Her eyes were a bright gray and she looked young and venerable, probably just weaned from her mother's milk. She could not or would not speak so Puma named her Frost for her white pelt and that was done. She got sent to the agate den.

Next was the mottled brown, gray, and black tom. His eyes were brown with amber flecks and his tail was long and sleek. He smelled different than the other kits for some reason Slash couldn't place.

"He's a rogue kit," Puma informed The Bane. "He says his name is Sky and I say we keep it." The Bane nodded reluctantly, gazing at Puma with calm and soft eyes. Sky was placed in the shadow den.

The Bane turned on the last kit with his gaze still on Puma. Rage flickered across his gaze as he gazed at the little golden she-kit, whose large luminescent green eyes gazed back up at him. The Bane rounded on Puma. "YOU DARE BRING IN THIS KIT TO THE CAMP!"

Puma backed up a bit, but her voice remained steady. "You said you wanted to not just hurt the Clans but also Dawncloud, do I thought that there would be no better way to do it than to bring the kit here.

"YOU BRING THE KIT HERE! I LOVED THAT QUEEN AND SHE TURNED ME AWAY FOR THAT STINKING TOM ASHSTORM! YOU BRING THAT THING AS A REMINDER OF NOT JUST HER BUT MY ARCH NEMESIS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!"

Puma backed up farther this time, panic in her normally calm amber gaze. "I don't know, I thought you would enjoy hurting Dawncloud…"

The Bane stayed silent, though his lip curled back in a snarl. "Fine," he spat, "We keep her. But, her name is Dawn."

Slash was shocked. From what Pearlpelt had said it sounded like he was a _clan cat!_ Why in the world would he be fighting his past life? Did it all revolve around this one queen or was it more? Questions bounced around the inside of his skull so loudly he thought that it might explode. One question, soft as honey dripping from a branch, held his attention. Why did he name Dawn the same name as her mother? Did that mean he never meant to return the kits?


	5. Characters

Characters:

_Slash_- A tom with a dusty brown pelt with a reddish hue. His eyes are golden and he is very independent.

_Pearlpelt (The Bane)-_ A massive white tom with black eyes and an iridescent pelt. He has wonderful persuasion skills.

_Tigerlily (Puma)-_ A slender black tabby she-cat with zigzag markings on her face and cruel amber eyes. She is a descendant of Tigerstar.

_Jade (Jadekit)-_ A small black she-kit with bright green eyes. She is thoughtful and quiet.

_Mouse (Shiningkit)-_ A calico she-kit with blue green eyes and white spots on her chest and paws.

_Coal (Nightkit)-_ A tom with dark shimmery almost black fur. His eyes are a dark warm brown and he is very rebellious.

_Ice (Hopekit)-_ Very pale gray she-kit with light blue eyes. She holds grudges easily and is ready to fight.

_Mia (Shadowkit)-_ A longhaired white/gray she-kit with darker face, ears, paws, and tail. She has ice blue eyes and a long feathery tail.

_Stripe (Leafkit_)- A gray tabby she-kit with dull green eyes. She is obedient and will believe anything an elder tells her.

_Amber (Amberkit)-_ A cream-colored she-kit with a reddish copper tail and warm amber eyes. She is quiet and reserved, extremely smart.

_Emerald (Autumnkit_)- A vicious brown tabby with green eyes. She is great at stalking and fighting.

_Rush (Reedkit)-_ A reddish brown tabby with dark brown markings on his face, ears, paws, and tail. He is very fast and doesn't remember his heritage much. His eyes are blue.

_Dawn (Morningkit)-_ A golden she-kit with bright green eyes. She looks just like her mother except she doesn't have a white tail tip and she has a head for herbs. She doesn't like to fight.

_Sky (A loner's kit)-_ A mottled brown, gray, and black tom. His eyes are brown with amber flecks.

_Dawncloud-_ A golden she-cat with bright green eyes and a white tipped tail. She is fierce in her protection of her family and clan and was the one to attack Slash.

_Den members_- Holly Bush Den: Slash, Pearlpelt/The Bane, Puma/Tigerlily

Root den: Jade, Coal, Mouse, Rush

Agate Den: Stripe, Amber, Mia, Frost

Shadow Den: Ice, Emerald, Dawn


	6. Chapter 5, Threat to Justice

The Bane leapt up onto the announcement rock, its dull gray surface making The Bane's shine in contrast, light iridescent colors rippling on his white pelt. His black eyes surveyed the clearing before he began his well-prepared speech. The kits, the different colored pelts mixed together in a jumble, were huddled together at the center, all warily gazing up at The Bane. Slash was guarding the entrance of the camp as Puma had said to. " I have gathered you here below me ('Not of our free will,' Jade muttered to Mouse) to tell you what you are here for. You see, the clan cats you have lived with are savages who are a threat to justice. You are here, under my care, so that we can train you and teach you to defend yourselves against this evil."

Emerald leapt to her paws before he could continue, her green eyes shining with anger. "Threat to justice? What do you know about justice?"

The Bane's black eyes flashed with anger, but he continued in a calm voice. "Have you seen Slash?" Suddenly many pairs of different colored eyes were fixed on him. "Before he ran into a clan cat his pelt was unmarred! Now is scarred and just beginning to smooth over."

Emerald refused to even glance at Slash. "Was he trespassing?" she demanded.

"He was, but he was stalking a rabbit. That rabbit was his before it crossed the border. There was no reason at all for him to give it up."

"Well, the cat didn't know that!" Emerald cried out, even though her voice betrayed she wasn't so sure.

The Bane smiled coldly, sensing her hesitation. "This was not what I called the meeting for. I-"

"And what does Slash say about the experience?" Emerald interrupted, her green eyes darting over to where Slash sat quietly.

Slash shuffled his feet uncomfortably, gazing at his paws in false fascination, knowing that if he said the wrong thing that The Bane would have no reason to keep him alive. His golden gaze flicked up, meeting Jade's eyes. The calm, bright green gaze gave him hope and he cleared his throat. "I was hunting, the clan cat attacked me, I fought, and I lost. End of story. It was unfair." It was the truth and he hoped that The Bane would accept it as a reasonable answer to the unprovoked question.

The Bane narrowed his eyes in visible anger. "As I was saying… training needs to start right away…"

The Bane continued his little speech as Emerald and Slash met each other's eyes. Emerald's gaze was filled with grudging anger and Slash quickly looked away. "We shall train you individually and in group sessions. Rules are simple: 1. Do as we say, 2. Don't kill anyone, 3. Claws stay unsheathed for battle practice. We will take you on hunting sessions as well-"

"You're training kits?" Emerald blurted out, staring incredulously at The Bane.

"Why yes! Evil cats rarely spare kits and it is always good to learn the skills before you end up dead." His voice hardened slightly at the end.

Emerald opened her mouth to retort, but said nothing. She had run out of ideas, Slash could see that clearly from where he sat. Her gaze traveled around the clearing, her green eyes finally resting on Slash's with anger and pique.

The Bane flicked his tail in dismissal, anger in his eyes. He glared at Slash and then at Emerald. Emerald tried her best to glare straight back at The Bane, but couldn't help but shift her weight uncomfortably. Puma appeared beside The Bane, whispering in his ear. The Bane lifted his head and called out, "I want shadow den here for training now!"

Dawn and Ice came forward silently. Emerald stayed back, her green eyes filled with defiance.

"Slash, I need your help," Pearlpelt mewed, glancing pointedly at Emerald.

Slash walked over to Emerald, a glimmer of sadness in his golden eyes. "Come on," he whispered in her ear, "Think of everything he teaches you as a trick you can use against him."

"Whatcha gonna do?" Emerald growled at Slash, "You gonna make me go over there, because no matter what you say I'm not listening to you, coward. Can't even stand up to a mangy tom like him?" She glared at The Bane, then back to him.

"I want to keep my throat intact," he breathed in her ear. " Now go over like a good girl or I fear that he may do you more harm than just that ear."

Emerald flicked the ear that was torn in two and still had dried blood plastered on it. "It won't be long until you are abused. Sucking up won't last you long," she hissed darkly and stalked past him, making sure to step on his paw with claws unsheathed on her way by. She took her place beside Dawn. Dawn turned with sad golden eyes. She pressed her golden flank against the side of her clanmate, not caring about the two-moon age difference. They were united for that moment by fear and hope.

Emerald scooted away from Dawn. "Don't touch me," she hissed, her voice showing that she was not to be messed with, but Slash saw it in her eyes that she secretly wanted a warm mother's touch at the moment. A friend's touch could do that too.

Dawn flinched deeply, pain in her green eyes. "I'm sorry Autumnkit," she murmured.

It's Emerald now," Emerald growled, not afraid of her new name.

The Bane clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Time for training!" he meowed, his long tail twisting in the wind. "I want to know what each of you can do, and what your strengths are!" He paused, and then said, "Emerald first," his black eyes not missing a thing.

Emerald stayed where she was. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening," she said mockingly. "What was that?"

"I need you to show me what you can do. This will place you in the right training group."

"What if I can't do nothing?" Emerald inquired in a mocking voice, rolling onto her back and looking up at the sky. The Bane didn't say it, but Slash knew that the higher up in training you were, the better treatment you'd get. He had heard The Bane talking to Puma about it.

The Bane narrowed his eyes angrily. "You will be put in the lowest group then." Slash winced. She had just made a very bad choice.

"The lowest group? Oh no, I'm so scared!" Emerald cried out loudly, then skipped around in a circle. "LOWEST GROUP! LOWEST GROUP!"

Slash begged her to stop with pleading eyes; his tail was bristling with worry. The Bane's eyes narrowed, and his mouth curled up in a cruel smile. "Wonderful," he purred in a dangerous voice.

Emerald caught Slash's look and stopped, blinking. Then her gaze traveled hesitantly to The Bane's. Slash saw her gulp and could almost hear her heart hammering in her chest from here. "I'll just... make my way up..." she whispered.

The Bane's smile grew wider. "You still may go last," he said in a silky voice. Emerald gave a fake smile and scooted back up next to Dawn and sat silently, waiting. "Fine. Ice, go first."

Ice stepped forward, trembling a little, but Slash could see that she was ready to show off her skills. Her light blue eyes met with The Bane's for a moment.

"Come on, I just want to see what you can do," he purred to her.

Ice's light blue eyes filled with determination to please that wonderful, fatherly voice that The Bane had. She charged at him, claws sheathed, and just as The Bane was about to dodge, she leaped to one side and barreled right into him.

The Bane knocked her away with a proud yowl. "Great! Keep on going!" He darted back to see how she did with speed as well.

Her light gray pelt puffed out to twice its size. She charged again, her powerful legs bringing her to The Bane before he could dodge. Though The Bane could easily knock her away, she definitely had agility.

The Bane, not wanting to hurt the skilled kit, just stood up so she slid off of him. He grinned kindly, and sent her to sit back with her denmates. Slash watched, amazed by the skill she possessed for one so young.

The three kits looked up at The Bane with bright eyes, dark green filled with anger, icy blue filled with pride, and bright green filled with fear and anxiety. The Bane turned to each in turn, his eyes filled with a slightly different emotion each time he switched gaze. Pride when he gazed at Ice, scrutiny when he held the stubborn gaze of Emerald… When his black eyes finally rested upon Dawn they suddenly changed to regret and anger so intense that Slash expected him to break from his calm pose. The black eyes narrowed to slits and he sat back with a swish of his long and elegant tail.

"Dawn next," he said, each word rolling off of his tongue slowly, as if each syllable had depth and meaning to him. Cool black eyes remained expressionless as the tiny golden kit stepped forward, so different from the sudden intense emotion that filled them only moments before. He saw the tiny tail flick anxiously. Tiny paws rubbed the earth in front of her as she gazed fearfully up at the massive imposing figure of Pearlpelt.

After several excruciatingly long moments, Dawn said in a soft voice, "What do I do?" She sounded embarrassed and fearful.

"Leap at me," The Bane said, "Try to claw me and knock me over."

Dawn shook her small elegant head, continuing in a voice as soft as a mouse's steps. "You are too big and strong in comparison to me. You have agility and skill, and it wouldn't surprise me if you have lead a few battles yourself. While if I had the time to get a number of skilled helpers and devise an attack, I highly doubt if I would be able to even hold you at bay for long. You are used to attacking with force, but you step with light paws, showing that you are also able to do sneak attacks. Your skills are too varied for me to match, and I would need moons of training if I were to even match yours with the help of three other kits."

Stunned silence followed her logic. She, just judging from his small fake battle with Ice, was able to evaluate his strength and skill with such precision that The Bane could not even find fault in her observations. Slash stared with wide golden eyes, and the other kits gaped at her. _How in the world did she figure that out?_ Slash thought incredulously, _I have spent much more time with The Bane than her and she can understand his skills almost instantly!_

"That does not matter, I want to see what you can _do_, not if you can beat me!" The Bane said, finally finding his voice.

"But, but…" Dawn trailed off, her voice tight.

"But WHAT?" Pearlpelt demanded angrily. "Do not argue! Just show me what you know!"

Dawn turned, meeting Emerald's eyes briefly. "Um… I don't know any fighting…"

The Bane rolled his eyes. "Then I guess you don't know anything. Get back to the group!"

Dawn scampered back to her denmates, sitting down next to Emerald. "But I _do_ know stuff!" she said in a hurt voice. "Marigold heals infection, Juniper Berries help with belly ache, Feverfew helps with lowering fever, Poppy Seeds dull pain and induce sleep, Cobwebs and Oak leaves help staunch bad cuts, Honey helps soothe sore throat-" she stopped suddenly, shrinking under The Bane's fierce gaze.

"Herbs have no meaning here!" he hissed in her face. "Get back to your den now! All of you!"

"But what about me?" Emerald whined desperately.

"I SAID IN THE DEN!" The Bane yowled angrily at her. Ice turned with cold eyes at her, accusing her of Pearlpelt's anger. Dawn was already creeping to the den, but Emerald stood tall in front of The Bane, green eyes shining with anger. Dawn stopped for a moment, calling out, "Come on Emerald! Wanna tell me about your warrior name in the den?" Emerald turned and scampered after her, brown tabby pelt rippling. They disappeared before Pearlpelt could say anything.

"Go guard their den. I can do the other dens _without_ your help," The Bane said in a snide voice, his black eyes narrowed with anger and sadistic happiness. Slash nodded, heading over to the cold shadows where the cold hole gaped at the still air. The wind cut neatly around the opening, blowing dust from the crest that shadowed and protected the den. Slash's eyes watered as sand blew into them. He settled at the mouth of the ominous den, his pelt fluffing up to warm him in the cool shadows.

Words drifted up and out of the den mouth, scents of cold earth and leaf mold coming with it. He could barely hear the kits, but the words were distinct even if they were soft.

Dawn's came first. "Tell me about what you wanted your name to be," Dawn said in a confident and caring voice, so different from the meek one she used with The Bane.

"I was about to be Autumnpaw," Emerald sighed sadly. "I would dream for hours on end for good names. Autumnbreeze was my favorite."

"That's really pretty," Dawn said. Ice stayed silent.

"I know it is," Autumnpaw said in a haughty voice. Suddenly there was a sigh, and her voice came even softer and with a droop in energy. "I miss Mommy so much. She would let me call myself Autumnstar all the time because she knew it was just play."

Dawn agreed softly. "I always wanted to be Morningcloud, like my mom. Dawncloud and Morningcloud. I like how that sounds."

"I love your mom's name," Emerald sighed. "Its so pretty. Stripedclaw is so boring, I don't know how Mom stands it!"

"Will you guys shut up?" Ice suddenly burst out. "If it wasn't for you The Bane wouldn't have gotten mad at us!" Angry silence met her words. "Besides, didn't you hear him this morning? The clan cats are the threat, so why in The Dark Forest are you jabbering about the names you would have gotten!"

Both Dawn and Emerald were silent, and Slash could almost imagine the intense green stares boring into the light silvery pelt of Ice. He heard rustling of the nests as the she-kits got situated and heard the feathery light breath that drifted out of the den as they fell asleep for their morning nap.


	7. Chapter 6, Rising Storm

**WOAH! Sorry guys, I know that took forever, but I got writers block and life interfered. READ READ READ! ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY!**

**DISCLAMER: Even after 4-some months of not writing I still do not own Warriors. **

Slash jumped awake to an earth-shattering boom. It was two days since that first lesson, but it was hard to tell because thick clouds and mist had blanketed the world for the last two days, blocking out the sun that would tell them when morning and night were. Like it had been since 'yesterday' it was black as night, only illuminated by eerie twisted claws of fire. The lighting had always scared Slash, but he was not about to admit it before The Bane or the kits. He heard rustling from The Bane and Puma's nests and watched as they stepped out into the clearing, instantly soaking themselves. The interlocking leaves of the holly bush kept the nests dry, as well as their inhabitants. Slash followed the couple warily, flinching and hissing at every bolt of lightning.

The Bane was sitting in the center of the clearing, his black gaze gazing at each of the den mouths; first root, then agate, then shadow. Puma was sitting up against the white tom, her smaller and slighter form being shielded by The Bane's massive body. The Bane's eyes flickered to the drenched and unhappy Slash, black meeting gold for a moment. His tail flicked for Slash to come over, and as he hesitated one, two, then three long and gleaming claws showed themselves from a large white paw. Slash gulped and came over, sitting a tail-length from The Bane.

The Bane gazed at each of the dens in turn again. His long plume-like tail flicking up and down. Suddenly his head tilted back, his black eye narrowed into slits as he roared, "ALL COME AND GATHER BEFORE ME!" Silence met his words. From the Shadow Den a pair of ice blue eyes glinted from the light of a lighting strike. They turned around and vanished into the darkness of the den. Slash idly imagined the kit trying to persuade a defensive Dawn and an angry Emerald to follow The Bane's instruction. Thunder roiled in the background like an angry cat's roar, the clouds tumbling over each other and rumbling like a group of warring cats. Slash attempted to not flinch at the thunder as Ice came out to stand before The Bane. Two green pairs of eyes stared from the den.

"ALL COME AND GATHER BEFORE ME!" The Bane roared again. A rumble to thunder so loud that the very earth seemed to tremble met his words. "ARE YOU AFRAID OF A LITTLE STORM? NONE ARE TO BE HURT UNDER MY WATCH!" The thunder lulled for a minute. Whispers came from the Shadow Den. _Should we just go out there so we can go back to sleep? _a soft, calm voice asked. _NO!_ an angry, defiant voice answered, probably Emerald's. _We will give that traitor NOTHING, not even a followed order!_ Dawn's softer voice paused, _But what will happen to us if we don't obey? We don't know what he will do. He may just want to tell us something important, not even-_ New and refreshed thunder cut off her words.

"ALL COME AND GATHER BEFORE ME!" The Bane roared once more, slight insanity leaked into his words this time. One by one kits filed into the clearing, starting with Stripe and ending with Emerald. The kits gathered in a loose clump, their normally varied pelts turned black, gray, and paler gray in the darkness. The Bane got up, pacing around the kits. He would stop by one or two, Coal, Stripe, Ice, Emerald… and then move on. The kits were drenched, even those with long fur looking miserable with their fur plastered onto their bodies.

"You all must be wondering why I gathered you here," The Bane began, silence radiating in the clearing. Pearlpelt had to raise his voice to a near shout to be heard over the storm. "But I tell you now! Until now we have been training to defend yourselves against the clans, to defend yourselves against EVIL! Now I gather you here to help you understand your enemy, to understand how they function! Now I gather you here as STORMCLAN! The Clan that floods rivers, wipes away shadows, stills wind, and BURNS THUNDER TO THE GROUND. WE ARE STORMCLAN!" His frantic pacing around the kits increased. Faster and faster he went. "First the clan starts you as kits, not being able to discover the world or train! This is the clans first mistake, for while they are strong we are STRONGER! We are stronger because you will know the skills of a near warrior, before you even become what they call an 'apprentice.' An apprentice learns from their mentor while doing chores for the clan. BAH! How stupid is that? Wasting your energy that could be used for training and hunting! That is what Slash is for! Have one member who does all the work, but does not need to train, fight, or hunt! And then you become a _Warrior,_" The Bane's voice was filled with contempt. "They are supposed to protect the clan, but can they do that? NO! THEY HAVE APPRENTICES AND KITS TO WORRY ABOUT! BORDERS TO PATROL! It would be better if there were one clan with no borders! ONE CLAN THAT RULED ALL!"

Several of the kits softly cried out "Stormclan!" but when Slash looked he could not see who they were.

"YES!" The Bane roared, and then halted, his drenched long fur a flat gray in the darkness. "This is why you are here, to save all that is true and just."

A long silence met his words, but Slash could see some of the kits nodding, others looking confused, and very few looking angered. Cold foreboding squeezed Slash's chest. _A storm destroys though! What good can come from something that will only destroy?_

_**OMG EPICNESS! **_**Did you like it? I know it was REALLY short but I needed to set the tone for the next chapter. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT! IT SHALT BE EPIC!**


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